The German Angora is recognizable because of its size, a purebred Angora is only white, coloured ones are considered to be crossbreeds. They are the ideal choice for rabbit farming because of their double undercoat. This rabbit rarely molts and its fur is harvested when it is three inches long, the wool is shorn regularly by hand and the rabbit groomed, this helps to prevent wool block which is a big risk to these woolly mammals. Angora wool fibre is spun directly from its source. The Angora is the largest breed, with a mature weight between 4kg to 5.5kgs.
The gent responsible for this initiative and foresight is a computer geek Arvind.. He has devoted a lot of his time and patience trying to pull off this project. With a lot of help from like minded individuals this unique project has taken off, with the government’s approval and financial support. Today this project goes by the name “Abu Agro Products Co-operative Society Ltd."
This project, the first of its kind is situated at the Oriya village opposite the Peace Park. This project was primarily started because of three factors, weather, wildlife and ecosystem. Angora rabbits give best results within temperatures of -2 to 25 degrees centigrade. In an eco-sensitive area, generating employment to landless, unskilled and unemployed country folks is the need of the hour. This project aims to employ weavers, designers and work personnel to manage this totally pollution free project.
This project, if handled correctly would be a boon for the following reasons. The reproduction rate of Angora Rabbits is much higher. Some details are as follows:Pregnancy period of angora female - 30 days;Litter size - 5 to 6 kits;Maximum pregnancies in a year - 5;Maturity period for pregnancy of new ones- 6 months;Therefore, by reproduction cycle, a single female and her female family members may (roughly) 32, 668, 41 00, 12920 kits in about five years.
The other advantage is natural animal fibre, clean directly from rabbits, does not require washing, its luxurious, not irritating to the skin, very durable, hand washable and blends well with other fibres, its seven times warmer than wool.
I was on the farm the other day and was surprised to see a lot of activity, there were some ladies weaving on Gandhi chakras, while others were attending to new litters recently born. There were quite a few tourists who had dropped in out of curiosity and were given a gracious tour and an insight into these lovable creatures by none other than Arvind, the originator of this project.
The farm is well constructed with ample ventilation, the rabbits are housed in large wire cages. The staff on the premises has to be a dedicated lot; they have to regularly groom these docile animals otherwise these lovable creatures would end up looking like balls of fluff. They need to inspect the droppings on a regular basis, if unhealthy droppings are observed a vet is to be informed immediately as it could be a case of wool block. Their water should be changed every second day and the dishes scrubbed on a regular basis. Rabbits are rather sensitive when it comes to changes in their diet or feeding schedule, this could lead to a loss of appetite. The establishment, to be successful, should have adequate and regular food supplies on hand otherwise shortage in this hill-station, could lead to disastrous consequences.
I’m looking forward to the day when the project begins to turn out its first shawls; I’m definitely going to get one for my lady love! How about you?
The gent responsible for this initiative and foresight is a computer geek Arvind.. He has devoted a lot of his time and patience trying to pull off this project. With a lot of help from like minded individuals this unique project has taken off, with the government’s approval and financial support. Today this project goes by the name “Abu Agro Products Co-operative Society Ltd."
This project, the first of its kind is situated at the Oriya village opposite the Peace Park. This project was primarily started because of three factors, weather, wildlife and ecosystem. Angora rabbits give best results within temperatures of -2 to 25 degrees centigrade. In an eco-sensitive area, generating employment to landless, unskilled and unemployed country folks is the need of the hour. This project aims to employ weavers, designers and work personnel to manage this totally pollution free project.
This project, if handled correctly would be a boon for the following reasons. The reproduction rate of Angora Rabbits is much higher. Some details are as follows:Pregnancy period of angora female - 30 days;Litter size - 5 to 6 kits;Maximum pregnancies in a year - 5;Maturity period for pregnancy of new ones- 6 months;Therefore, by reproduction cycle, a single female and her female family members may (roughly) 32, 668, 41 00, 12920 kits in about five years.
The other advantage is natural animal fibre, clean directly from rabbits, does not require washing, its luxurious, not irritating to the skin, very durable, hand washable and blends well with other fibres, its seven times warmer than wool.
I was on the farm the other day and was surprised to see a lot of activity, there were some ladies weaving on Gandhi chakras, while others were attending to new litters recently born. There were quite a few tourists who had dropped in out of curiosity and were given a gracious tour and an insight into these lovable creatures by none other than Arvind, the originator of this project.
The farm is well constructed with ample ventilation, the rabbits are housed in large wire cages. The staff on the premises has to be a dedicated lot; they have to regularly groom these docile animals otherwise these lovable creatures would end up looking like balls of fluff. They need to inspect the droppings on a regular basis, if unhealthy droppings are observed a vet is to be informed immediately as it could be a case of wool block. Their water should be changed every second day and the dishes scrubbed on a regular basis. Rabbits are rather sensitive when it comes to changes in their diet or feeding schedule, this could lead to a loss of appetite. The establishment, to be successful, should have adequate and regular food supplies on hand otherwise shortage in this hill-station, could lead to disastrous consequences.
I’m looking forward to the day when the project begins to turn out its first shawls; I’m definitely going to get one for my lady love! How about you?
The first litter on the farm, 7 healthy kits
This Angora thingie is gonna cause some stir in Abu ...i tell ya. It'll be so awesome for all those people out there,they are gonna think these fluff balls are some god sent angels,especially with the employment they'll generate.....people should know about it..............it should go international...hats off!!
ReplyDeleteThe Angora project seems to be a very viable economic enterprise and it could go a long way in providing a means of income to the people employed, especially to the poor folk, for whom this project is simply a godsend. The one thing that strikes you when you meet Mr. Arvind is that he is a perfectionist who is not afraid of putting in hard work and therefore this project has a very good chance of succeeding simply because it is in very good hands. Another point which would make environmentalists very happy is that this project is eco-friendly. Now only if Arvind could clone himself so that we could find him more often in the computer shop like we used to... :-))
ReplyDeleteI wish the project every bit of success it deserves.
Uday.
Hats off !!! to all the members of "ABU AGRO PRODUCTS CO OPERATIVE SOCIETY".
ReplyDeleteWell I think that its a great initiative taken by Mr. Arvind Kumar.This Angora Farming and its associated products are not only environment friendly,but economical and are creating empyloment for the poors.This story of Rabbit Farming is a perfect example of how great ideas give birth to a superb work.This blog beautifully shows the dedication,the struggle and the hard work of all the members behind the execution of this project.The govt. and the public of Rajasthan should help and support this project because it will solve many problems prevailed in the society.
Well every great work has a difficult begining,but there is a long way to go.You people are doing a fantastic work,so never get disheartened and proceed like a winner.God is with you and my best wishes too.